Reflection On Walking Meditation
During one of my early morning walking meditation sessions around the fields of the Cotswolds, I found myself reflecting on the Mental Discipline section of the Noble Eightfold Path. The image that came to mind was a still pond.
When the surface of the water is calm, even the smallest pebble creates a ripple. In much the same way, meditation gradually reveals the subtle movements of the mind. We do not practise in order to prevent life’s pebbles from falling. We practise so that we notice each ripple as it appears, without being overwhelmed by it.
Perhaps mindfulness is not the absence of disturbance, but the stillness that receives it.
“As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, so the wise are not moved by praise or blame.”
— The Dhammapada
Haiku
Walking with silence,
As a mind without ripples
Awaits the pebble.
From “Stillness | Moments of Buddhist Practice in Verse”
Stillness is a collection of haiku, senryu and short reflective poems inspired by my Buddhist practice, meditation, pilgrimage and the quiet moments of everyday life. Sometimes a few carefully chosen words can express what a much longer article cannot.
Come and See More 👉Mindful Walking 👉Walking Without Seeking
Mindfulness as the stillness that receives an absence of mental disturbance is a lovely image for a ‘maturing practice’. But just as you need to be primed with a little wisdom to see that the Eightfold Path has anything to offer at the beginning, you need to create some early stillness for it to become a more settled state. The path is circular, and spirals into great riches.